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A Tale of Two Movies

3/10/2017

 
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​Ah, the evangelical reaction to movies. Which one to boycott and which one to see? Or do we boycott both? Or do we see both? I recently read an article by a recent friend of mine on how evangelicals ought to be more proactive rather than so reactive when it comes to cultural engagement. And with him I heartily agree.
But until that time comes, here is my take on the current evangelical reaction. I am truly perplexed at the evangelical response to these two recent (or about to be recent) theatrical film releases. The current response to these films actually seems almost topsy-turvy.

Beauty and the Beast

On the one hand, we have a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast that, according to the director, has a “delicious,” “exclusively gay” moment. And so naturally, very prominent evangelical leaders are calling for a boycott of the film. When I first head about this “moment” I was initially wondering if it was similar to the “moment” in Finding Dory when there’s a split-second scene of two women with a stroller - which obviously means they are “clearly” a homosexual couple (while two mothers at the aquarium while the fathers are at work is not just as plausible is still beyond me).

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The Curse and Hope of the Sanctity of Life

1/23/2017

 
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Being pro-life is not popular - in the sense that everyone loves the work you do toward a pro-life society. And it isn't easy, especially the closer we get to abortions actually becoming illegal again.

Under the evil of former President Obama and his administration (and several of his predecessors), along with a liberally unbalanced supreme court (and their predecessors) and, up until a couple years ago a liberal majority in congress, overturning Roe v. Wade was pretty much unthinkable.
Now that it's attainable, we have "millions" of women protesting that possibility. And while Christians should always be doing our best to live at peace with all (Rom. 12:18), there is still a responsibility to speak out against those "who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isa. 5:20). Consequently, there is a certain joy that comes with the knowledge that our nation might actually stop the murdering of 3,000 innocent lives a day - an atrocity that far outweighs the Holocaust to the point that it's now beyond measure.

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Will Voting for Donald Trump Ruin the Evangelical Witness?

10/18/2016

 
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The most common objection I've received from my recent article on why I'm voting for Trump (reluctantly and grudgingly though it may be), is that I'm told if evangelicals vote for Trump it ruins the witness of the church to the watching world.
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I'm told that when believers vote for Trump they're discrediting Christ and His church and creating stumbling blocks for unbelievers to trust in Christ.
While good-intentioned as these arguments may be, I reject them for at least the following reasons: (1) The political atmosphere is only a byproduct of the cultural war, which we evangelicals as a whole have given up on long ago. If we're to worry about tainting our witness to the world, it must start first and foremost with the cultural war, (2) We have a solid history in Scripture where our fellow-saints were able to live in good conscience, given the circumstances around them, with supporting immoral people in office (or a position of political power) and even helping them attain such a position. The situation we face today is similar. And we would do well to follow their example. (3) Seeking the world's approval should be the furthest thing from us - even when it comes to politics.
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Why We Shouldn't Vote for Trump - In Just One Passage of Scripture

2/2/2016

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I'm not here going to get into for whom I think we should vote (if any of them) and why - whether or not we should vote for the lesser of two evils or dissent.

But what I can't understand is why Donald Trump is getting so many evangelical votes when he's clearly not even the "lesser of two evils."

So I'll lay it out plainly.
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Why we shouldn't vote for Trump - in just one passage of Scripture:

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My Joy in Christmas

12/21/2015

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The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
- John 1:5
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Clifton Mill - Clifton, OH
I, like many, truly do love this time of year. Not only is it a time when you typically talk to and/or visit family more often than usual, but it is a great time for experiencing joy in giving gifts to others (and I'll admit - I take great joy in receiving gifts as well).

Of course, all Christians know the true meaning of Christmas, and what it is that we're actually celebrating - the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And what could be more joyous than that?
There's not a whole lot! I mean, on the one hand we could say the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. That's certainly a joyous occasion (as well as Good Friday, where He paid the penalty for our sins).

But neither of those could have happened unless he did the truly remarkable thing of becoming one of us; or, as John records it: "the Word became flesh" (Jn. 1:14).

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The Vindication of Bill Cosby (for my fellow Christians)

11/12/2015

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I expect the world to take a prominent case of a celebrity, known for being a good influence and then being accused of horrible crimes, and declare him guilty before proven innocent.

But as Christians, I think we should rather use Biblical principles when it comes to pronouncing judgment on someone - especially when the people who are closest to him (his wife Camille, and his co-star in The Cosby Show, Phylicia Rashad) are saying he is not that kind of man .
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​As Christians, we need to presume he is innocent until proven guilty.

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As the number of individuals accusing Bill Cosby of rape and/or other sexual offenses has reached 55, there's a large part of the public (including Christians) who are determined that that's plenty of evidence to determine his guilt.

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Why I'm Voting "No" on Issue 3

11/2/2015

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I wish we lived in an Ohio where marijuana was legal. As I've written before, the Scripture does not categorically condemn mind-altering substances.

If it did, certain painkillers like acetaminophen would also be condemned, since they don't really take pain out of the body but simply alter your mind in the experience of that pain - similar to how alcohol is sometimes used.
Furthermore, God's Word - the standard to which all governing measures (whether self-governing, family-governing, church-governing, or state-governing) should be subject - never gives the State the right or authority to dictate what one can and cannot ingest in their bodies (provided it's not breaking some other lawful matter, like the taking away of an innocent life - for instance, the State does have a right to prohibit any type of ingestion that would induce an abortion, and execute those who would use such ingestions - Ex. 21:12, 22-25).

Therefore, yes, I think marijuana should be legal for individuals to grow and use.

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#YesImAChristian - And Yes I'm Armed

10/15/2015

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Precious in the sight of the LORD
        is the death of his saints.
​-Psalm 116:15
As the dust settles on yet another school shooting spree, the aftermath of politics are in their normal routine. Liberals are wanting more gun control, and "conservatives" are calling for more funding and/or regulation for the "mentally ill."

While neither of these so-called solutions will work, the families and loved ones of those hurt and killed by this atrocity are still in need of prayer and support.
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Pilgrims Going To Church, George Henry Boughton, 1867
In addition to that, clearly something does need to be done to help prevent such tragedies from being so frequent. I think we would be hard pressed to disagree with the idea that ultimately what will reduce or eliminate these tragedies is the mass conversion of individuals to becoming Christians through the power of the Holy Spirit, which He will use by the preaching of the gospel to the unsaved, and then training Christians in full-orbed discipleship in our churches.

In the meantime, I wish to express the following thoughts on what it means to be a Christian in the face of these types of situations.

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A Few Words on Kim Davis

9/7/2015

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I don't have much to add to the thousands of other voices that have been sounded in this issue. My particular favorites at this point have been the following:

Some Sober and Needful Thoughts on the Defiance of Clerks in Kentucky
by Matt Trewhella

Kim Davis and the call to all Christian officials
by Joel McDurmon

In Which I Paint With Some Bright Yellows
by Douglas Wilson
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All I wish to do is to call attention to the false dichotomy being imposed in the chant: "Do your job or resign." For one thing, Kim Davis, by neglecting to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples, is doing her job. The State of Kentucky Constitution reads thus:

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Is It a Sin to be Rich? Is it Righteous to be Poor?

8/28/2015

 
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A rich man's wealth is his strong city
-Proverbs 10:15

The blessing of the Lord makes rich
-Proverbs 10:22

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath
-Proverbs 11:4

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall
-Proverbs 11:28
Isn't it interesting that Scripture teaches so clearly such an ambivalent attitude toward money and wealth.

For instance it is seen as a definite blessing that Abraham and Job were wealthy individuals (Gen. 13:2; Job 42:10). Likewise, Moses prays for the Lord to establish the work of their hands (Ps. 90:17 - bless their work and the fruit of that work), while Jabez also prayed for God's material blessings (1 Chron. 4:10). And both of these were seen as good things. Yet eslewhere in Scripture there are very sharp rebukes against the wealthy (Jas. 5:1-6;cf. Lk. 6:24).

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Sitting on a Mountaintop, Waiting for Judgment

7/1/2015

 
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The White House is illuminated in rainbow colors. (Photo: Gary Cameron/Reuters)
I suggest reading this post before reacting to the title; you may be surprised by what I mean by it.

At the start though I must say that, yes, this is a post concerning the supreme court decision on Friday, June 26th. Yes, though not surprised by it, I was still saddened by their ruling. And yes, I do believe that judgment will come to those rulers (in whatever capacity they served) who ruled in favor and/or otherwise gave their approval of public, government-sanctioned civil union relationships of those reveling in their homosexuality.
I'm not going to take the time here to lay out a case as to why that is an abhorrent ruling in the eyes of God (Lev. 18:22, 20:13) and why gloating over it as Obama did will only incur further wrath on himself and his nation (Ps. 2:10-12).

What I also will not be doing is claiming myself to be sitting on a mountaintop, waiting for God's judgment on America because of this ruling and, in my mind, even far more gruesome sins (like the 3 million babies we kill each year in terrifying ways). No, I'm not sitting on a mountaintop, waiting for God's judgment on a sinful nation.

What I'm saying is that the church has already been doing that very thing for far too long; and we need to repent from that method of Christian living.

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Opening Day: Ruined or A Helpful Reality Check?

4/6/2015

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Opening day!

Okay, I can't pretend for a second that I really care about opening day. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not really the major sports fan.

But I certainly understand the joy of participating, even as a spectator, in the disciplined and creative efforts of others. For my part, I'm a big fan of action movies - specifically, the Marvel Universe films, lately anyway.
And there is certainly much to be appreciated about seeing solid teamwork being displayed right before your eyes. Everyone contributing their own unique gifts and abilities to oppose and conquer the opposition (these are similar reasons why I enjoy the Marvel Universe films). In reality, it gives a great picture of the church in that everyone in Christ contributes their own spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:15-16), and by so doing are opposing the gates of hell and eventually overcoming them (Mt. 16:18; cf. Eph. 3:20-21).

But times like this, for sports fans (just as times like the one coming soon for me when Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in theatres) provides a good time and venue for a sobering reality check.

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Movie Review: Old Fashioned

2/17/2015

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On Valentine’s Day I had the pleasure of watching a great movie with my amazing wife.(1)

Against the backdrop of Fifty Shades of Grey (a film and book series that glorifies sadistic fornication), a movie by skoche films / Pure Flix was intentionally released the very same weekend.

The name of the film is Old Fashioned, and I highly commend it to all viewers seeking an actual love story portrayed in the medium of film.

My only regret about the movie is that it was only released in select theatres rather than in every theatre in which 50 Shades was darkening the culture. Of course I know God is sovereign and that even the tiniest light can scatter a great deal of darkness (Jn. 1:5; Eph. 5:8-14).
Old Fashioned
But as for the movie Old Fashioned itself: What was the story? What did it teach? What did it glorify? In essence, is it worth watching?

And now comes the hard part of trying to review a wonderful movie without giving any spoilers. But try I will!

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Some Biblical Perspective on #HeForShe

9/23/2014

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The beloved celebrity Emma Watson (Harry Potter Series, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Noah) was appointed as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in March this year.

In this position she recently delivered a speech that went viral, being hailed as powerful and moving, in her invitation for all people - both men and women - (but specifically men) to take a stand on gender equality.

You can watch and/or listen to the speech in its entirety here or read the transcript here. As part of the launch for the campaign called HeForShe, Emma had some good things to say in her message; and it would be good for us to welcome them.
HeForShe
On the other hand, I also believe there were many more moments in her speech, which came through quite clearly, that we would do well to reject - in light of Scripture.

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Overcoming the World

7/18/2014

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Today's Google Doodle was in honor of Nelson Mandela. And as usual with Google, it was done incredibly well. But it's when things are so appealing to our visual enjoyment and emotions that we might do well to be even more attune to how to interpret it in light of God's Word.

Now I need to be clear up front: this post is not intended to attack Nelson Mandela in the least.(1) It is, however, intended to provide an analysis of the message Google presents in honor of Mandela (at least in part from his own words) and how that message is at polar opposites with the message God provides in His Word.

So if you examine with me the beautiful doodles of Google compared to God's Word, I hope you'll discover with me that as at many other times, there is an important clash of worldviews - that is - an important clash of understanding of truth, that is at stake here.
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So what is so opposite the Christian message in today's doodle?

Let's take a look. After clicking on the arrow to the right of Nelson Mandela we're taken (in a Pixar-esque fashion) to the next doodle, which I believe is taken straight from Mandela's autobiography.



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